World
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, speaking to Rudaw on March 23, 2026. Photo: Screengrab / Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations said Monday that Islamabad is involved in efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington to end the war in the Middle East.
“Various friends are involved. We are also trying to help these efforts. Yes,” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, told Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla.
The war has prompted Iran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting the flow of around one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies through the strategic chokepoint.
The closure has driven up prices for crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and other commodities, as regional countries push for an end to the conflict.
Mediation efforts by Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt came as an ultimatum issued by US President Donald Trump on Saturday was set to expire, under which Washington had threatened to target Tehran’s energy infrastructure.
Trump said Monday that the US and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days aimed at a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities, in a post on his Truth Social platform.
However, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said “No negotiations have been held with the US,” claiming that “fake news” is being used to “manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”
“Various friends are involved. We are also trying to help these efforts. Yes,” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, told Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla.
The war has prompted Iran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting the flow of around one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies through the strategic chokepoint.
The closure has driven up prices for crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and other commodities, as regional countries push for an end to the conflict.
Mediation efforts by Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt came as an ultimatum issued by US President Donald Trump on Saturday was set to expire, under which Washington had threatened to target Tehran’s energy infrastructure.
Trump said Monday that the US and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days aimed at a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities, in a post on his Truth Social platform.
However, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said “No negotiations have been held with the US,” claiming that “fake news” is being used to “manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”
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